Osteospermum plant named ‘Aknam’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Osteospermum plant named ‘Aknam’, characterized by its uniformly mounded, outwardly spreading and compact plant habit; very freely branching growth habit; full and dense plants; freely flowering with numerous inflorescences per plant; spoon-shaped ray florets; and white-colored ray and disc florets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofOsteospermum plant, botanically known as Osteospermum ecklonis, andhereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Aknam.

The new Osteospermum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Aabyhoj, Denmark. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new Osteospermum cultivars withinteresting ray floret colors and spoon-shaped ray florets.

The new Osteospermum originated from a cross made by the Inventor of anunidentified proprietary Osteospermum ecklonis seedling selection as themale, or pollen, parent with the proprietary Osteospermum ecklonisselection identified as code number 97008 as the female, or seed,parent. The new Osteospermum was discovered and selected by the Inventoras a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grownin a controlled environment in Aabyhoj, Denmark, in 1998.

Asexual reproduction of the new Osteospermum by vegetative tip cuttingswas first conducted in Aabyhoj, Denmark in 1998. Asexual reproduction bycuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Osteospermum arestable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Aknam has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, lightintensity, water status, and fertility levels without, however, anyvariance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Aknam’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Aknam’ as a new and distinct Osteospermum:

1. Uniformly mounded, outwardly spreading and compact plant habit.

2. Very freely branching growth habit; full and dense plants.

3. Freely flowering with numerous inflorescences per plant.

4. Spoon-shaped ray florets.

5. White-colored ray and disc florets.

Compared to plants of the parent selections, plants of the newOsteospermum are more compact and differ in ray floret coloration.

The new Osteospermum can be compared to the Osteospermum ecklonisculltivar Aksillo, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. application Ser. No.09/422,169. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif.,plants of the new Osteospermum differ from plants of the cultivarAksillo in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Osteospermum have slightly larger inflorescences,more ray florets, larger discs and more disc florets than plants of theculitvar Aksillo.

2. The upper surface of the ray florets of plants of the newOsteospermum is not as pure white in color as the upper surface of rayflorets of plants of the cultivar Aksillo.

3. The lower surface of the ray florets of plants of the newOsteospermum is white and pale yellow in color whereas the lower surfaceof ray florets of plants of the cultivar Aksillo is blue purple.

4. Disc florets of plants of the new Osteospermum are white in colorwhereas disc florets of plants of the cultivar Aksillo are blue purple.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Osteospermum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colores in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newOsteospermum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Aknam’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of typicalleaves, inflorescences and flower buds of ‘Aknam’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the spring inEncinitas, Calif., under outdoor conditions which approximate thosegenerally used in commercial production. One rooted cutting was plantedin a 20-cm container and pinched once. Measurements and numerical valuesrepresent averages of typical flowering plants about 22 weeks afterplanting.

Botanical classification: Osteospermum ecklonis cultivar Aknam.

Parentage:

Male, or pollen, parent.—Unidentified proprietary Osteospermum ecklonisseedling selection, not patented.

Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Osteospermum ecklonis seedlingselection code number 97008, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate rooting.—About 8 days at 18° C.

Time to develop roots.—About 23 days at 18° C.

Root description.—Fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous container and garden plant. Uniformlymounded and compact plant habit; upright to outwardly spreading. Veryfreely branching, about 16 lateral branches develop after pinching;dense and full plants. Moderately vigorous growth habit.

Plant height.—About 24 cm.

Plant width or area of spread.—About 50 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 12 cm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Internodelength: About 1 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Glabrous. Color: 144A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Leaves single and alternate. Number ofleaves per lateral branch: About 13. Length: About 4 cm. Width: About 2cm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin:Irregular serrations. Texture: Coarse, leathery, glandular and glabrous.Color: Young foliage upper surface: 146A. Young foliage lower surface:146B. Mature foliage upper surface: 146A. Mature foliage lower surface:146A. Venation, both surfaces: 146B. Petiole length: About 1.2 cm.Petiole diameter: About 4 mm. Petiole color: 146C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Terminal and axillary inflorescences held above and beyondthe foliage on moderately strong axillary peduncles. Compositeinflorescence form with sproon-shaped ray florets and disc floretsmassed at the center; ray and disc florets arranged acropetally on acapitulum. Not fragrant. Inflorescences persistent.

Flowering response.—Plants flower continuous and freely from the springthrough the fall.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for about 4 to 7 days in an outdoor environment dependent ontemperature and weather conditions.

Quantity of inflorescences.—About 100 open inflorescences and buds perplant.

Inflorescence bud (at stage of showing color).—Length: About 1.5 cm.Diameter: About 9 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: Close to 150B.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5.25 cm. Depth (height): About 1.3cm. Diameter of disc: About 1.3 cm.

Ray florets.—Length: About 2.7 cm. Width: Apex and base, about 6 mm; atindentation, about 2 mm. Shape: Spoon. Apex: Rounded to emarginate.Base: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Satiny. Orientation: Initiallyupright, outer florets perpendicular to peduncle then reflexing. Numberof ray florets per inflorescence: About 26 in a single whorl. Color:When opening, upper surface: 155B. When opening, lower surface: 155A.Fully opened, upper surface: 155C to 155D. Fully opened, lower surface:155B at apex and base; mid-section, 1C.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length:About 8 mm. Width: About 3 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence:About 140. Color: Immature: 155A. Mature: 155C.

Phyllaries.—Length: About 8 mm. Whorl diameter: About 2.3 cm. Shape:Linear. Apex: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Somewhat rough with tinyhairs. Number per inflorescence: About 18 in a single whorl. Color:Upper surface: 138B. Lower surface: 138A.

Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 9.5 cm. Length, secondpeduncle: About 10.5 cm. Length, third peduncle: About 11.5 cm. Angle:Terminal peduncles, erect; secondary peduncles, about 45° from vertical.Strength: Moderate. Texture: Coarse with tiny scattered short hairs.Color: 144A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Stamennumber: Five, fused. Anther shape: Oblong. Anther size: About 3 mm by 1mm. Anther color: 163A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 23A.Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Pistil number: One.Pistil length: About 6 mm. Stigma shape: Bipartite. Stigma color: 155A.Style length: About 4 mm. Style color: 155B. Ovary color: 1B.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Osteospermums hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouse or outdoorconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Osteospermum plantnamed ‘Aknam’, as illustrated and described.